The Evolution of Massive Stars as a Function of Metallicity: Closing the Loop Observationally

Details The Evolution of Massive Stars as a Function of Metallicity: Closing the Loop Observationally The Evolution of Massive Stars as a Function of Metallicity: Closing the Loop Observationally

Dec 1997

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1997hst..prop.7464m&link_type=abstract

HST Proposal ID #7464

Physics

Hst Proposal Id #7464 Stellar Populations

Scientific paper

The galaxies of the Local Group provide the laboratories for testing how massive stars evolve as a function of metallicity. Massive stars lose mass via stellar winds at a rate significant on an evolutionary time-scale; since this mass- loss is driven by radiation pressure in highly ionized metal lines, the amount of mass shed during the main-sequence phase should differ in galaxies of differing metallicities. Indeed, large differences in the relative numbers of evolved massive stars {WC and WN Wolf-Rayet stars, Luminous Blue Variables, Ofpe/WN9 ``slash" stars, and red supergiants} are seen among the various Local Group galaxies that have been well studied. We propose here to finish our work to determine empirically what mass ranges evolve into particular types of evolved massive stars, and how these various limits depends upon metallicity. These will provide the critical observatonal benchmarks needed by evolutionary theory. We can do this by obtaining the cluster ``turn-off masses" in the highly coeval OB associations containing evolved objects. Our ground-based and WFPC2 imaging of selected regions in NGC 6822, M 31, and M 33 have identified the candidate turn-off stars, and extensive spectroscopy has been carried out from the ground. But we now now need STIS to obtain spectra of those turn-off candidates which were shown by our WFPC2 images as too crowded to do from the ground.

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